Congratulations to Notre Dame High School for being one of the recipients of the 2014-15 Premier's Award for Accepting Schools! The award recognizes school teams that have done exceptional and innovative work in promoting a safe, inclusive and accepting school environment. A number of programs have helped Notre Dame accomplish this goal. The Helping Hand Team developed educational awareness programs that taught students about mental health and well-being. They also organized a number of student-led activities to help students manage anxiety such as relaxation classes, administering student stress quizzes and providing a program on mental health conditions. The Healthy Transitions Program, facilitated by local public health staff, helped ease the transition into high school for Grade 7 and 8 students. An annual multicultural event included an evening of traditional ethnic cuisines, a talent show and a parent panel discussion on challenges faced by newcomers and how to improve their school experience. Congratulations to Notre Dame on this prestigious and well-deserved award!

Graduating Mother Teresa High School student Sam Turgeon-Brabazon is an entrepreneur, a director and a valedictorian. He also won the provincial and national gold medals at the 2015 Workplace Safety Competitions. Sam even won the provincial title with the highest point total ever awarded. He will be going on to Carleton University to study Public Affairs and Policy Management. After a year of study, including being a Parliamentary Page, Sam plans to specialize in Human Rights. Watch Sam’s GoPro video showcasing his journey to capture gold at the national competition in Saskatoon!

During Catholic Education Week, St. Joseph High School hosted a Digital Citizenship Human Library in their Learning Commons on May 6, 2015 which allowed students to interact with people who work with social media on a daily basis. The seven social media specialists gave students a unique and interesting perspective on how personal use of social media can have a direct impact on their professional lives in the future. It was an entertaining and educational day for all!

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Transportation information

The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA) will have stop information available on their website on August 24. If your child will be riding the school bus for the first time this year, or your young child simply needs a refresher, then don't miss Safety Awareness Day on Sunday, August 30, held at six different locations. Check out new walk zone maps to help plan your child's walk to school, sign up for a Walking School Bus program, and more.